The Gamble for Love (Oneshot)
by vala411
Summary: Being scorned, ridiculed, or betrayed can make a person lose fate. Will they take a chance and gamble for love. (oneshot challenge with RedLegodude, Theme: Gambling)


**AN: Hello everybody! Here is my fic for my oneshot challenge with RedLegodude. His fic 'Casino of Valkyries' should be up in a couple of hours on so keep an eye out ;) My profile hosts a poll, so vote for your fav once you've read both XD Have fun ya'll!**

 **The Gamble for Love**

Violent winds howled as thunder clapped in the night's sky above the Viking Kingdom of Berk. Heavy rainfall impeded the frantic messenger who made his way towards the castle. The weary messenger finally reached the castle panting. He knocked on the heavy wooden doors to get the guard's attention. "Open up!" He yelled as a gust of wind knocked his hood back. "Urgent message for the King!"

So it was that night that King Xandre 'The Proud' was awoken to find out that the Berkian's ally, the Kingdom of Sedora, had fallen. The King called an urgent council meeting the following morning. At the meeting all the Lords and High-ranking members of the Kingdom gathered.

"Gentleman it is with sad news that I must impart onto you that the Kingdom of Sedora has fallen. Our long time ally has been made part of the Aevinia empire. I was told that the Empress herself was at the frontlines of the battle." King Xandre proclaimed in a somber voice and the news caused murmurs in the court. Most of those murmurs however were not because they had lost an ally, they were more surprised by who had done it.

"Your Highness, surely you jest." One of the older lords stated. "You are suggesting that a woman commanded an army to take a kingdom as powerful as Sedora."

These were the thoughts of many in the room because the Berkian kingdom did not believe women to be capable of battle, or strategic thinking, or much of anything except looking pretty and watching after the household. Thus they hadn't thought much of the Aevinia empire and its Empress when it was founded eight years ago as several kingdoms started banning together and expanding to the east. Bards brought stories back about a powerful empire ruled by a cold-hearted empress who commanded her armies from the back of a dragon. The Berkians did not believe that these beasts could be tamed and so merely dismissed such stories as fantasy.

Over the years more stories surfaced about the Aevinia empire. They said that the Empress possessed no emotions and ruled with an iron fist. That the dragon species roamed the empire freely and that her attendants were the craziest in the land. The stubborn Berkians dismissed all these stories as fantasy because they simply would not believe that the Empress was the actual ruler. They believed her to be a mere figurehead, a puppet.

"I do not wish to believe it myself but the messenger swears on the Gods that he saw the Empress and many of her soldiers on dragonback." King Xandre stated. "If Aevinia has taken Sedora then it will only be a matter of time before they set their sights on us. And if they truly do have dragons then the threat is credible even if it is a woman commanding them."

"You have a plan your Highness." An army General spoke up. "We should not let these demons over run us."

The King turned to the General in question and smiled. "That you are right General Stoick. I propose we invite the Empress to our Kingdom and broker an alliance."

This brought another round of murmurs to the crowd as many showed their discontent.

"You must be joking your Highness!"

"You wish to make Aevinia an ally!"

"We should stand proud and show that Empress who she is dealing with!"

"SILENCE!" General Stoick shouted and as many saw the King begin pacing.

"I know you all think me mad but we do not stand a chance." King Xandre stated. "Sedora was almost as powerful as us and they fell within the first hour of Aevinia's assault." This information quieted down everybody in the court. "We are outmatched. It would seem that the rumors of the Empress having the devil-beasts at her command was true. For now the only way we'll not end up like Sedora is if we make an alliance."

The King then turned to the General handing him a scroll. "General Stoick I want you to send your fastest messenger with an invite for the Empress and her advisors."

"It shall be done your Highness." Stoick replied with a short bow and left the court to fulfill his duties.

It was at this time in one of the royal stables that a 20 year old dressed in ragged clothing with messy auburn hair and a peg leg was grumbling as he was once again assigned stable duty. He was busy cleaning out one of the stalls when some of the other stable boys came in.

"Well well well. If it isn't Useless." One of the boys sneered but he was ignored. The auburn haired man simply continued shoveling which infuriated the others.

"You think you can ignore your betters!" Another shouted dragging the man by the collar of his tattered tunic. The man just stood there and took the abuse, all to used to it.

The stable boys laughed and with them having more muscle began to easily push the other around. "You really are useless." One said.

"The scrawny son of the great General Stoick 'The Vast' Haddock, a disgrace to the Viking way. It's no wonder even he treats you like a nuisance." One laughed in the man's face as he pushed him down.

"Won't even fight back." Another muttered kicking the man as he was down. "We're going to the tavern. Make sure our chores are done Hiccup." Was then sneered before the other stable boys departed.

The man now known as Hiccup slowly got up holding his sides after the other stable boys had departed. "How would you like some poison ivy in your beds again." He mumbled as he went back to work.

It was not long thereafter that his father General Stoick barged into the stables with a knight at his feet. "Hiccup!" He yelled upon seeing his son. "I want the fasted horse ready to go!" The General had already left before Hiccup even formed a sentence. "Hello to you too dad." Hiccup muttered as he got a stallion ready.

The knight who had accompanied the General stood simply watching Hiccup mutter to himself as he readied the horse. "You shouldn't talk to yourself." The knight suddenly said. "People might think you're crazy."

"They already think I'm useless. Why not add crazy to the mix." Hiccup said dryly. "Why are you even talking to me. Most of the knights, heck most of the Kingdom threats me like a pariah."

"I've heard the stories when I joined the kingdom's army." The knight mentioned. "I can't believe you set fire to the armory storehouse."

"That wasn't me!" Hiccup shouted. "Some drunken soldiers started it but they immediately blamed me when they were being questioned."

"And the General believed them? Did you not defend yourself?" The knight asked.

"What's the use. If something goes wrong it's always blame Hiccup!" Hiccup shouted now starting to ramble. "The general, my dad, believed them right away and proceeded to blame me as well, all because I'm not the perfect Viking in his eyes." At this point Hiccup was panting hard.

"Glad to get that off your chest?" The knight asked as he took the horse's reigns. Hiccup nodded still out of breath. "Why did you decide to talk to me?" Hiccup then questioned.

The knight merely gave Hiccup an unreadable look. "I like to reserve my judgments for after I have met a person. I've seen you around the kingdom, so far you seem like an okay guy who just got the short end of the stick in life." The knight stated while mounting the horse.

Hiccup blinked for a moment and then just asked. "Well you know my name. What's yours?"

"Eret" The knight said as he held out his gauntlet covered hand as Hiccup shook it. "How about we talk some more when I get back from Aevinia." Eret asked to which Hiccup nodded.

After Eret departed Hiccup had to blink a bit. 'Did he just make a friend?' Hiccup slumped onto a pile of hay. His life so far had been cruel. His mother died protecting him from an attack by raiders when he was six and his father blamed him for it. Even when Hiccup had saved the man from an out of control carriage, losing his left leg in the process, made no difference to Stoick. The man only saw a scrawny disgrace of a son who would never amount to anything in his eyes. The man had handed him off to Gobber, the resident blacksmith and horse handler, without a look back. That was why Hiccup was stuck in rags. Stoick refused to spend any money on clothes and food for him after he turned eleven, even though he was quite well off, and Hiccup had to scramble to earn and save every penny he made. Him earning enough money to eat was already a problem as many followed Stoick's example and treated Hiccup like a pariah. Not many people were willing to hire him for odd jobs.

Even with all this happening Hiccup couldn't bring himself to hate his father. The man had loved his mother and was never the same after she was gone. He still mourned her and vowed to never take another wife again. It was the only time Hiccup had ever seen his father cry and then Stoick in his grief took it out on Hiccup. As much as Hiccup didn't like being yelled at or blamed for things he did not do or had no control over, he couldn't bring himself to hate a man lost in grief.

The days passed much the same for Hiccup until a week later when Eret returned and his news had the entire kingdom in a frenzy. The Empress had agreed to come to the Berkian kingdom to discuss an alliance and would be arriving in three days. King Xandre had ordered the servants to clean the castle and prepare a banquet and ball for that day to welcome the Empress.

Eret was currently sitting in the forge, after his return, as Hiccup sharpened his sword. "You should have seen Aevinia." Eret told Hiccup. "It is a beautiful place and the rumors were true. The dragons do roam freely there and I nearly had a heart attack when one started sniffing me." This caused Hiccup to laugh.

"So you've met the Empress?" Hiccup asked curiously to which Eret nodded. "Aye, she's as beautiful as the rumors. I actually had to hurry through my introduction as one of her attendants started winking at me while waving a handkerchief. The Empress merely shrugged at her attendant's behavior and continued reading the scroll."

Hiccup was finished with the sword and handed it back to Eret. Eret noticed the bruising on Hiccup's arm upon taking his sword. "Where did you get that?" He asked and Hiccup quickly tried to cover it up.

"Nowhere" Hiccup mumbled but gave in as Eret shot him a pointed look and refused to leave. "If you must know, some of the other soldiers were drunk and decided to show me my place." Hiccup muttered turning away from Eret who began to scowl.

"And you just stood there and took it?!" Eret asked. "You've got muscle, I could see that when you worked on my sword. Why in the nine realms didn't you fight back?! You got to stand up for yourself!"

"Why bother." Hiccup said. "If I did then they would blame me for starting the fight and then I'd be in a lot more trouble."

"I saw you around sometimes. You always had a spark in you. Now it looks like it's died. You sound like a man who's given up." Eret stated angrily.

"Maybe I have Eret!" Hiccup yelled back. "What is the point if all I ever receive is scorn and hate!"

"Eret, could you just…" Hiccup said in a tired sigh wanting some time to himself.

Eret hesitantly nodded but stopped at the door to whisper "I just hope that there is someone who can give you your spark back."

Hiccup and Eret didn't talk for the next three days as both had to help out with the preparations and had no free time to spare. The crowd was watching eagerly at the gates for the royal party to arrive but Hiccup was busy slaving away in the forge, because the General thought that he couldn't cause any trouble there, so Hiccup missed the show that the dragons put on as they and marched through the gates with their riders. Hiccup missed seeing the Empress arrive, but overheard that the dragons were placed in one of the royal stables.

It came to no surprise to him when later in the day the other stable boys gave him that stable to look after. They after all, didn't want to be in a wooden building with fire breathing reptiles occupying it. 'What a bunch of wusses.' Hiccup thought as he picked up a broom and entered the stable.

As Hiccup entered he saw the dragons lift their heads to get a better look at him. Hiccup recognized all of the species. A blue and yellow Nadder was preening her scales in one stall, while a Razorwhip lay lazily in another. The stall across held a Hideous Zippleback who kept watching Hiccup curiously, and in the middle of the stable hung a black dragon by the tail from one of the beams, asleep. Hiccup knew that this must be a Night Fury for they were the only dragons known to sleep upside down.

"Well that's new?" Hiccup said softly as he made his way around the dragon and started sweeping. The dragons quickly got used to Hiccup in the stable as they didn't perceive a threat and left him to his own devices.

After Hiccup was done sweeping he dragged in some baskets of fish which had the dragons all chirping happily. Hiccup proceeded to feed the dragons.

The black dragon awoke from the noise and got on all four paws in the middle of the stable. Upon seeing Hiccup the dragon growled in warning baring his teeth.

"Grumpy after waking up aren't you." Hiccup said and then held out a fish to the dragon.

The black dragon stopped growling to look at the fish. Its pupils began dilating while inching closer to Hiccup and the fish.

The dragon opened his maw revealing only his gums. "Hey, I thought you had…" It's teeth snapped into its mouth and the dragon gulped the fish down in one bite.

"Teeth…" Hiccup finished looking in shock as the grumpy dragon now looked more happy. It eagerly began to sniff Hiccup and then gave him a big lick.

"Egh.." Hiccup muttered as he flicked slobber from his face. "This stuff had better wash off."

The dragon then went down to lie in the middle of the room once more when Hiccup noticed something.

"Your tail." Hiccup said walking over. The dragon gave a warning growl.

"Easy Toothless." Hiccup said. Toothless as he was now being called looked at Hiccup curiously and then let out a sad croon. Toothless seemed okay with Hiccup calling him that but still didn't let him get close to his tail. It took some persuading and a very stubborn Hiccup before Toothless gave in and pressed his head in Hiccup's palm surprising him. Toothless then brought his tail for Hiccup to see as he let out a sad croon.

"You've lost your tailfin." Hiccup said sadly as he patted Toothless who just lay there. "It will be okay bud." Hiccup said trying to reassure the dragon who simply let out another sad croon. Hiccup decided to leave Toothless alone for now to rest and finish his other chores.

It was already night when Hiccup returned to the stable housing the dragons with bales of hay for them to use as beds.

Hiccup didn't notice Toothless creeping up as he was putting the hay in a giant pile. Toothless then suddenly dove into the pile of hay and began wiggling around with his tongue hanging out.

"Hey!" Hiccup shouted as hay flew everywhere and then without thinking dove on top of the dragon yelling "YOU CRAZY REPTILE!"

Toothless happily began to bat at Hiccup with his paws, both were unaware of a pair of sky-blue eyes watching them.

Earlier that day the Aevinia royal party entered the Berkian kingdom on dragonback. The citizens gave them a wide berth as the Empress and her entourage proceeded through the streets up to the castle. The Empress was seated on the blue and yellow Nadder as it proudly marched up front, followed by the riderless Night Fury who growled at everyone who got to close and bringing up the rear were the Zippleback carrying a pair of headbutting twins and a Razorwhip carrying a woman in armor with an axe.

The party reached the castle and were greeted by the king and his advisors. "Greetings your Highness. I'm King Xandre. It is a pleasure to meet you." The king gushed. "I bid you and your party welcome. We have made accommodations for your dragons and hope that you will honor us by attending the banquet tonight."

The Empress swiftly got off her Nadder. "Greetings King Xandre, I'm Astrid Hofferson, Empress of Aevinia, these are my attendants Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thornston." She said gesturing to the twins who had also dismounted and gave a short bow. "And my advisor and occasional bodyguard, the Lady Heather. We would be honored to attend your banquet tonight."

After the introductions, the Aevinia party was shown to their quarters where they could rest and prepare for the night.

The banquet started off well, that was until the haughty prince Radley decided it was a good idea to hit on the Empress, after blatantly insulting her dragon. The slap rang through the ballroom as heads turned.

The prince was holding his cheek where an angry red handprint was slowly becoming visible. "You wench!" The prince then screamed as his father and other court members came running.

"What is the meaning of this!" The king roared stopping his son who had grabbed the Empress' arm.

"King Xandre I would highly advise that your son let's go of me lest he loose his hand." The Empress said keeping her head high. "I had thought you Berkians to be the civilized sort but seeing as your own son, a prince to this kingdom, behaves like an uncultured brute, attempting to bed me, has me believing I was right about you all." The Empress stated. "These negotiations are over. My party and I will depart in the morning." With that said the Empress proceeded to march out of the ballroom, her flowing red dress trailing elegantly as she left the king and his court gaping.

The king turned his furious glare onto his son and proceeded to whack him over the head in front of everybody. "What did you think you were doing! We need her to like us!"

Astrid proceeded to walk briskly out of the castle and into the courtyard. She cursed silently as one of her heels broke as she was nearing the stables. She proceeded to take off her shoe and hobble to the stables wanting to pet Stormfly, her Nadder, which always cheered her up. Astrid was about to open the door when she heard a shout.

Peering through a crack in the slightly ajar door had Astrid stifling a giggle. There in the stable lay the Night Fury wiggling in the hay pile and was batting his paws playfully at a man who had jumped after him screaming "YOU CRAZY REPTILE!" The duo were quite a sight and Astrid couldn't hold back her laughter anymore as the Night Fury began licking the man.

Her laughter caused the duo to stop and look to the door which she had pushed open in the meantime. Hiccup quickly stood up and stammered, as he had never seen a more beautiful woman. "Greeting Milady. How may I help you." It was then that Hiccup noticed how he looked, with straw sticking to him and in his hair. He quickly shook it off much to the amusement of the Empress.

Deciding to play along Astrid stepped into the stable. "Greetings good sir. I was merely taking a walk, trying not to murder a certain noble, when my heel broke."

This caused Hiccup to laugh. "Will you let me see your shoe." Hiccup said. "I might be able to fix it. It wouldn't do for a lady to walk bare foot."

Astrid handed Hiccup her shoe, and then proceeded to sit on the bench he had pulled up. Toothless and the other dragons greeted her happily. "You are part of the visiting royal party?" Hiccup asked upon seeing the dragons greet her.

"That I am good sir. You may call me Astrid" Astrid introduced happily. "It has been a while since I've seen someone not of Aevinia interact like that with dragons. Especially this grumpy one here." She said gesturing to Toothless who simply rolled his eyes. "Might I know your name?"

"Hiccup Haddock, Lady Astrid." Hiccup said as he had finished repairing her shoe.

"Are you by anyway related to General Haddock. I was introduced to him today." Astrid asked curiously only to see Hiccup's smile fall.

Hiccup nervously scratched the back of his head. "Yes, he's my father."

"Then why were you not at the banquet?" Astrid now asked curiously. "All the other court members brought their families."

Hiccup now looked down sadly. "Probably because I wasn't invited Lady Astrid." Hiccup says in barely a whisper. "I am considered the kingdom's pariah, and my father considers me a disgrace."

Now it was Astrid's turn to frown. "Then they don't know what they are missing then." She then states causing Hiccup to look up in surprise. "I have only just met you, but seeing how this particular dragon responds to you I can only conclude that you are but a kind man who does not deserve this fate. Night Furies are excellent judges of character."

"I have only met Toothless today but I do now see that there is more to dragons than meets the eye."

Then Astrid had an idea. She stood up after putting her shoe back on, grabbed Hiccup by the arm and hastily pulled him out of the stable.

"Where are we going?!" Hiccup asked as he let Lady Astrid drag him up to the palace steps.

"Your Highness." Eret said coming to meet them in the corridor. "I have been sent to find you. The king wishes to express his sincerest apologies for the behavior of his kin." It was then that Eret noticed a confused looking Hiccup being dragged by the Empress.

"Hiccup? What are you doing with the Empress?" Eret asked and watched as his statement cause Hiccup's eyebrows to shoot up.

"The Empress?!" Hiccup said shocked and looked from Eret to Lady Astrid in confusion.

"Thank you for the message Sir Eret." Astrid said and then proceeded to drag a gaping Hiccup along, much to the amusement of Eret.

Astrid barged into the ballroom causing all heads to turn in her direction. Mutters started when the guests took notice of Hiccup being dragged by the Empress. The guests were shooting Hiccup looks of disgust and General Stoick came forward to meet the Empress. "Hiccup what did you do!" Stoick shouted and then turned towards the Empress "Your Highness I sincerely apologize for whatever that boy has done."

Astrid held up a hand effectively silencing the General and all the mutters from the guests. "What he has done is convince me to give you Berkians a second chance." Astrid stated for the whole room to hear and the General to sputter in shock.

"What do you have in mind Empress?" King Xandre asked.

"I propose a wager." Astrid said with a smile. "You will send representatives from your kingdom to Aevinia to stay for two months to learn our way of life. If they can act with decorum then I will sign a treaty with your kingdom. If not, then consider yourselves warned not to cross me again."

"So an alliance if we prove we are civilized people and war if we fail." The King muttered.

"I have but one condition." The Empress added. "This young man must accompany you." Whispers broke out at the Empress' statement and Hiccup shot her an incredulous look. "You will get no other chance to impress me."

The King let out a sigh and took the Empress' wager. "I shall have representatives ready. We shall prove that we can be worthy allies."

The Empress gave a nod to the king and then proceeded out of the ballroom with a bewildered Hiccup behind her. They stopped in the corridor to the guestrooms where her party was staying and Astrid turned to Hiccup. "I'm sorry if I have deceived you." She tells him.

"You didn't deceive me." Hiccup stated. "You did say that you belonged to the visiting royal party."

"Well then good sir. I'll be seeing you in Aevinia in a few days." Astrid said.

"I guess you will." Hiccup said still trying to process the entire event. "I bid you good night your Highness."

"Good night good sir." Astrid said with a smirk and then she got a wicked gleam in her eyes. She quickly kissed Hiccup on the cheek, leaving him blushing and stunned, and entered her bedroom.

Astrid giggled, getting a look at Hiccup's expression, as she closed the door. Turning around she saw the twins and Heather waiting for her.

Ruffnut winked at Astrid and then said. "Well finally! I thought we'd never see you smile like that again."

"Rumors of you being cold-hearted after that incident spread through the land. It would have taken someone pretty special to make you laugh like that." Heather commented. "We want all the details."

And so the days passed. The Empress and her entourage left the Berkian Kingdom the following day. The Empress promised to send fast transportation three days from now to pick up the representatives.

Nothing changed even with the Empress' declaration that it was Hiccup who made her give the Berkians a second chance. They still treated him as they always did but now many of the lords, and even his father were shooting him glares.

Eret had volunteered for the mission as well as Hiccup's cousin Snotlout who was a middle ranked knight. Hiccup hadn't heard much from Snotlout as his cousin was forbidden, by his father and Hiccup's uncle Spitelout, to speak to Hiccup. Spitelout wanted Snotlout to succeed and thought that him hanging out with 'useless' as many called Hiccup would be detrimental to his reputation. Spitelout didn't know it, and would likely blow his top, but Snotlout would sometimes walk by the forge and give Hiccup a nod as a greeting.

It was now the day of the departure and Hiccup stood behind the rest of the representatives. Gobber had given Hiccup some better clothes for the occasion. Hiccup now dressed in a green tunic and brown pants, looked at the various representatives. There was a fat merchant that he recognized from his trips into the city, the general and some of the knights, a young squire, and a Lord of the King's court.

Hiccup frowned at the selection. "What's got you looking like that?" Eret asked coming to stand next to Hiccup.

"I was just thinking why the King hasn't chosen at least one lady as a representative." Hiccup whispered quietly to Eret. "The Empress is a lady and might have appreciated a woman being sent as well. It is no secret about the Berkian's stance on women."

Eret nodded then looked to Hiccup "You don't seem to have that shortcoming." He quietly said while giving Hiccup a poke.

"My mother always told me not to judge a book by its cover." Hiccup whispered. "Who am I to say that a lady isn't as capable, or more so than a man. Lady Astrid played King Xandre wonderfully."

Eret looked at me in shock at the comment. "What do you mean?"

"The wager." Hiccup whispered. "It is not only to see how civilized the Berkians can be. Throw them into a completely new environment and watch their reactions. By that alone you could possibly figure out various strategies to use against them if they ever were to betray you."

"You got all that from the Empress' wager?" Eret asked shocked.

"What can I say. I'm a very observant person. Although I can't for the life of me figure out why she wanted me to come along." Hiccup stated scratching the back of his head as Eret watched him incredulously.

"Well if that reason hasn't popped into your brain yet then who am I to spoil the surprise." Eret chuckled. "When I met her she was pretty much unemotional through the whole meeting, which was completely different from what I saw as she dragged you around."

It was not long after that several roars could be heard. Hiccup and Eret along with everybody looked to the sky to see several Typoomerangs approaching with wooden platforms with railings hanging between them.

The Typoomerangs lowered the platforms into the courtyard revealing a soldier on each of them. "Welcome Berkian representatives. Please load all your luggage on one of the platforms and board the other. We'll be taking off immediately."

Hiccup only had one bag with him so he helped Eret with his trunk. "Is that really enough for two months?" The soldier enquired as Hiccup placed his bag next to Eret's trunk.

"What can I say. I don't have a lot." Hiccup merely shrugged. As Hiccup stepped off the platform he caught the young squire, who the knights had left to do all the heavy lifting, from falling.

"Need a hand?" Hiccup asked which the young squire eagerly accepted. Hiccup took a good look at the boy. He could be no older than 14.

Hiccup helped the young lad with much of the heavy lifting, as the merchant and Lord refused to do more than bark orders.

Hiccup gritted his teeth as one particular trunk was quite heavy. It put a lot of strain on his prosthetic which began to hurt. "What the hell has that guy got in here?" The squire asked as the Aevinian soldier came to help them. "It certainly isn't wool." Hiccup commented dryly.

Everyone boarded the other platform after they finished loading their luggage and soon they were airborne. The young squire took a seat next to Hiccup and offered him one of his apples. "Thanks for the help." The young lad said. "Just so you know, I don't believe your useless like the knights say. I'm Tomas."

This caused Hiccup to turn to look at the boy who held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Hiccup."

Eret saw the exchange from the other side of the platform and couldn't help but smile.

The entire trip to Aevinia lasted six hours. Everybody looked over the railings when the soldiers pointed out that they would be flying over the capital any moment now. The Typoomerangs began their descent and the sight was breathtaking. The capital, and the Empress' castle itself lay along a rocky coastline. Large dome buildings were visible throughout the city as dragons of every size and color flew in and out.

"Those are the dragon stables if any of you were wondering." A soldier pointed out. "The Typoomerangs will set us down in the courtyard in front of the palace. From there on you representatives will greet the Empress in her throne room."

Hiccup was ordered by his father to see to their luggage as they went to greet the Empress. Tomas mouthed a 'sorry' to Hiccup while Eret and Snotlout's arguments were silenced with a glare from the General. "Only the representatives shall greet the Empress." The General stated. "Hiccup is accompanying us. He is not considered a representative."

After that the General marched the others through the double doors without a look back. Hiccup grumbled and turned to the large pile of luggage and groaned.

"That was harsh." One of the soldiers said. "We were to wait with the luggage until they came back so that we could take it to their rooms but it looks like you'll be getting a lot of shouting and nasty glares from most of that bunch if this isn't sorted out."

"The shouting and glares I can handle." Hiccup muttered as he picked up his own bag and swung it over his shoulder. "It's most of them thinking I'm their own personal servant on this trip that has me wanting to take a swing at them."

"Then why don't you?" Some other soldiers asked having witnessed the entire scene.

"Standing up to those guys would land me into worse trouble." Hiccup merely stated. The soldiers gave each other a weird look and then proceeded to help Hiccup with the luggage.

"Those representatives must be getting yelled at by her Majesty." One of the soldiers whispered as the other nodded and sniggered. "They forgot one basic rule."

And indeed. True to the soldier's prediction Astrid was indeed furious at the representatives, or in this casa at the General's actions.

"Now tell me again General, why Hiccup isn't here?" Astrid asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Ruffnut and Tuffnut stood on the side trying to suppress their sniggers.

The General stepped forward and said. "He is taking care of our luggage. You ordered only the representatives to come to the throne room your Highness."

"And Hiccup isn't considered a representative?" The Empress asked while leaning her head slightly on her palm.

"You asked for Hiccup to accompany us to your Empire your Highness." The General answered in an assured tone. "You never said he was to be made a representative."

"Ah yes, that I did." Astrid comments offhandedly. "And a King or Empress personally inviting someone to their home would make that someone an honored guest, would it not General?" Astrid asked sweetly. General Stoick blanched having forgotten that aspect of etiquette amongst the nobility and silently cringed. An honored guest had a status above nobility or any visiting delegations for the duration of their visit and someone of a lower rank ordering, or disrespecting said guest was creating a major faux pas.

"I see you have figured it out General Stoick." Astrid said. "I will let it go this time as I could clearly see that you had forgotten. I'm sure that you will enlighten the rest of those who haven't already figured it out. Some of the guards will show you to your rooms as I'm quite sure that Hiccup already put your luggage there." That statement caused Stoick to cringe again as Astrid subtly reminded him to tread carefully.

The twins bounded up to Astrid after the delegation left. "That was wicked." Ruffnut stated excitingly. "Now go get him tigress, rawr."

Astrid blushed but vacated her throne. "Ruffnut no need to get so suggestive." Astrid said as she headed for one of the doors.

"Someone has to, otherwise you'll grow into an old maid!" Tuffnut stated. "And I'm terrible at innuendo." This earned him a slap from his sister.

Astrid made her way up to the wing of the castle where the royal bedrooms and guestrooms for special guests were located. She smiled as she saw Hiccup standing in the doorway of what was to be his room. As she got closer she noticed a guard poking him to get his attention, which wasn't working.

The guard saluted upon seeing his Empress. "Your majesty. I think we might have broken him."

Astrid dismissed the guard, who went back to his post, and turned to the still astonished and possibly catatonic Hiccup. "You know blinking won't make the room disappear." Astrid said with a smirk as she pushed Hiccup into the room.

"It's just so big." Hiccup said as he hesitantly walked over to the large bay windows.

"Well it is a room for honored guests." Astrid said smugly and Hiccup's eyes widened connecting the dots. "My that was fast. It took your father a while to figure out his mistake."

"Are you kidding me?" Hiccup nearly shouted, his voice going a pitch higher causing Astrid to laugh.

"No I'm not. They cannot order you to do anything for the duration of their stay, otherwise they would have to explain to their King why I send them home for breaking etiquette." It was then that Astrid caught sight of his luggage. "Is that all the clothes you brought for two months?"

"It's all the clothes I own." Hiccup said looking a little down in embarrassment. "Gobber gives me room and board free for my help in the forge but most of the money I earn goes to food and evidently damages that I'm being blamed for your Highness."

"That is so unfair." Astrid said. "And I thought I told you to call me Astrid." She then clapped her hands together and said. "We can remedy the clothes situation immediately. I'll have some of my tailors on it right away."

"Lady Astrid… I could not accept something so generous." Hiccup stated quickly.

"Well then you could just owe me a dance at the ball that I'm throwing tomorrow." Astrid said and she notice Hiccup look down at his peg leg.

"I'm not much of a dancer on this wooded stump Lady Astrid. If I ever had the chance to make my design then it would have been no problem as that imitates an actual leg."

"Your design?" Astrid asked curiously.

"Yes milady. Working in the forge gave me the tools and knowledge to design a prosthetic that make walking much more easier. The only problem was that the metal rusted to easily and broke, so long term use was out of the question unless you had a fortune to maintain it by buying new parts." Hiccup explained.

"The only metal I know that would not rust is Gronckle iron." Astrid stated to which Hiccup nodded.

"Yes it is, but it is so rare in Berk and a small lump costs a fortune."

"Well then good thing we have peaceful dragons here." Astrid stated. "Our smithy's are overflowing with that stuff. It's yours to use as you like."

"Lady Astrid. You are being much too generous once again." Hiccup said starting to protest a bit but Astrid shushed him.

"Then you'll owe me a picnic one of these afternoons." Astrid stated with a smirk. Inwardly her heart was doing flip-flops.

"You milady are very devious." Hiccup commented as Astrid led him out to show him the rest of the palace.

On their tour they crossed paths with the delegation who only gave them nods of acknowledgements but were otherwise silent. Snotlout gave Hiccup a wink, while Eret gave Hiccup a quick thumbs up as they passed.

"Is he always so dense?" Tomas asked quietly after they had gone to another room.

"Kid, I think the Empress would have to knock Hiccup out with a club and tie him to her bed to get the point across." Eret answered honestly.

"Too much information!" Snotlout hissed. "Too much information."

The day went by fast. After finishing the tour and ending at the smithy, much to the surprise of the old hermit blacksmith who worked there, had Hiccup slaving away in front of the forge having promised Lady Astrid a dance. It was already late in the night when Hiccup had all the parts assembled and fitted it. Hiccup mentally cheered at the completion of the metal prosthetic. It would allow him far more mobility. So it was with a happy smile and a quick good night to the guards on duty on the floor of his room that he fell into a happy slumber on the very soft bed.

The following day had Hiccup up bright and early even though he went to bed quite late. He however did not expect to be trampled by an overeager Night Fury.

"Toothless!" Hiccup rasped as the dragon lay on top of him. "You're squishing me."

Toothless gave Hiccup a lick and then proceeded to lie on the fluffy rug in his room. "Crazy reptile." Hiccup muttered.

It was after Hiccup took a bath that there was a knock on his door. Opening it revealed a cluster of servants waiting. "Eh…" Was all Hiccup could utter as two maids entered first. One with breakfast for Hiccup and another with a huge pile of fish for Toothless. They curtsied and left. Then three seamstresses came into the room along with their apprentices and proceeded to take Hiccup's measurements and ask if he had any preferences. The seamstresses were all gossiping and hiccup learned quite a few interesting details. He was especially curious why their cook had banned the Empress from the kitchens.

The seamstresses left laughing with assurances that his clothes would make her Majesty and quite a few young ladies at the ball try to jump him. Hiccup didn't have much experience with relationships in general so the seamstresses comments caused him to blush.

Hiccup spend the rest of the day with Toothless at his side exploring and testing his new prosthetic. He even met a few interesting people. A Lady Heather who sprinted around a corner and ended up crashing into him. She was ecstatic at finding out who he was and then dragged him to the library so that he could meet her husband Fishlegs, who was the head librarian.

Hiccup also encountered a pair of crazy twins as he passed the armory. They had been busy giving the various armors polka dots, and he found out that it was for revenge upon some of the knights, who had taken away their explosives. Hiccup also found out that these twins were Lady Astrid's attendants and were just as crazy as the rumors portrayed them. They happily showed him their laboratory, where Toothless proceeded to stay far away from, which Astrid had gifted them so that they could experiment away from the populace and to prevent them from blowing up her castle…again.

In the palace gardens Hiccup met Lady heather's brother Dagur who was the royal botanist. He was pruning a giant rose bush when Hiccup and Toothless passed and happily waved at the duo, which caused Dagur to fall from the ladder, which led to Hiccup meeting Camicaze, the eccentric palace doctor.

A guard must have informed the seamstresses when Hiccup returned to his room, because they were there in no time, happily holding up several sets of clothes.

They proceeded to use Hiccup like a dress up doll. In the end Hiccup went with the outfit that consisted of a dark green tunic, and black leather pants. The outfit was simple but the seamstresses said that it would certainly turn heads. Especially if Hiccup left the first two buttons open.

Toothless was back to lazing around in Hiccup's room when he left for the ballroom. He could already hear the music playing as it vibrated off the high castle ceiling.

Hiccup definitely turned some heads as he entered the ballroom which already had some couples on the dance floor. He spotted Lady Heather and Fishlegs near a table. Lady heather noticed him and quickly pointed her head sideways. He followed the direction and saw Lady Astrid looking quite bored as she was listening to a conversation.

Lady heather made a dancing motion with her hand and the shooed Hiccup in Astrid's direction. Hiccup took a deep breath as he got closer and held out his hand to Astrid. "Begging your pardon gentlemen. I was wondering if I could bother the Lady for a dance." Hiccup said and mentally congratulated himself on picking up noble etiquette from being around the palace most days of the year.

Astrid shot him a thankful smile and said. "Why of course good sir. I would love to have a dance with you." She then proceeded to drag Hiccup onto the dance floor in a not so ladylike fashion, but that didn't matter to her as she was the Empress and they were in her palace. The music stopped when Astrid stepped onto the dance floor which also cleared. The nobility watched the young man who had the guts to ask the Empress for a dance eagerly, for they had not seen their Empress dance with anybody in years.

The music started off slow but picked up in a fast tune as Hiccup twirled Astrid on the dance floor. Astrid laughed as she enjoyed the moment, for she had indeed missed this.

General Stoick and the rest of the delegation entered during Hiccup and Astrid's dance, and the General couldn't help but incredulously ask "What is that boy doing?"

"Looks like dancing sir." Eret answered enjoying the scene. "Very good dancing I might add."

"But why?" Stoick asked still not believing what he was seeing. The Hiccup he knew couldn't move that fast with his peg leg and he had never actually seen him dance.

"Well sir, it is a ball. People tend to dance at these things." Eret stated and then scampered off avoiding the glare the General send his way. When the dance ended Hiccup and Astrid bowed to each other before leaving the dance floor. The headed for Lady Heather's table where Ruffnut and Tuffnut were now seated.

"Hey Hiccup." Ruffnut said getting his attention. "Who is the guy next to sir Eret?"

Hiccup looked over and saw Eret and Snotlout talking to Camicaze. "That's my cousin Snotlout." Hiccup said and Ruffnut gave him a smile. She then got up and made her way over to Snotlout.

"Your poor poor cousin." Tuffnut said causing Hiccup to quirk an eyebrow. "My sister is hoping to snag him in her clutches."

The night went by at a very pleasant mood. Hiccup could sometimes feel the eyes of some of the delegation members on him but he decided to just shrug it off for the night. He and Astrid danced a few more dances before the end of the ball, and Hiccup was surprised when Snotlout and Ruffnut, as well as Eret and Camicaze hit it off.

It was the morning after the ball and Hiccup was already awake as the sun slowly peeked its head on the horizon. Toothless had commandeered the rug once more and was still happily snoozing away.

Hiccup got dressed and made his way out of the room. He then approached one of the guards. "Excuse me do you know where I might be able to take a morning run?"

The guard nodded and then showed Hiccup the way to the fields where the soldiers sparred or worked out. It was still very early and Hiccup was surprised to see another figure running. Hiccup thanked the guard and ran up to the jogging figure. Unbeknownst to him, the guard let out an amused grin.

Hiccup jogged up to the figure and said "Good morning milady" but tripped on a pebble and fell face first in the sand. Astrid stopped to stare incredulously at the man and then couldn't hold in her laughter as she helped Hiccup up.

The pair jogged together talking amicably and then Astrid moved on to weapons training. She threw a sword at Hiccup while holding her axe ready. "Are you sure about this milady?" Hiccup asked as he eyed the axe.

"I hope you don't think that you'll hurt me Hiccup." Astrid stated.

"Actually Lady Astrid, I'm a lot more concerned that you'll hurt me." Hiccup said in a nervous chuckle. True to Hiccup's prediction, he was knocked to the ground fast and disarmed.

Astrid frowned as she went over his movements during their sparring match. "Hiccup why do you use your right hand for sword fighting when you're left handed?"

"That's how everybody is taught. I tried switching once when I was younger but the instructor became mad that I wasn't following directions and well you can probably guess what happened next." Hiccup explained with a grimace.

"Why don't you try it now?" Astrid asked getting back in a fighting stance. "I want to see how good you are when using your dominant hand."

Hiccup did switch and it was quite a surprise to him that he could more easily block Astrid's swings. They sparred for quite a bit afterwards not even noticing the crowd they were attracting. The last was a close match with Astrid managing to disarm Hiccup just as Hiccup managed to disarm Astrid.

Clapping and hollers could be heard from the assembled crowd of soldiers and servants. Hiccup nervously rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment but Astrid made him take a bow.

Afterwards they left for breakfast, which was followed by Astrid, Hiccup and Toothless taking a walk around the city. Hiccup was quite surprised when Astrid didn't take any guards with her. King Xandre as well as other royals would always take an entourage of guards with them every time they entered the city. She showed him her favorite places to eat and Hiccup met many of the citizens and even more types of dragons. The dragons had taken quite a liking to Hiccup much to the annoyance of Toothless, who had to drag him out from under a Snafflefang which thought he would make a nice cushion.

Astrid explained that the delegates would today be introduced to dragons and they would see how they interacted with them.

"They love you, you know." Hiccup stated when they returned to the palace. "Your citizens." Hiccup elaborated after seeing Astrid looking a bit confused.

Astrid nodded. "It has to do with this empire's history." She told Hiccup and then gave him a critical look. "Can you keep a secret?" She asked.

"Milady anything you say shall stay between us if you so wish it." Hiccup said and that seemed to please Astrid as she grabbed his hand and let him towards the library's restricted section.

"This is the true history of Aevinia. The rulers of the other kingdoms have tried hard to erase it." Astrid said as she opened the various locks on the door and then proceeded into a small room. Books lined the wall and Astrid picked up a heavy tome and set it on the reading stand. "They say that Aevinia was founded eight years ago when kingdoms started banning together, and that isn't entirely true, but it's not the whole truth."

Astrid opened the tome and began her story. "Years ago some kingdoms of this continent lost many citizens due to a plague. To keep their economy running they turned to their allies for help. These allies set out expeditions to distant shores to acquire the work force these kingdoms had lost. The ships returned with many people who were taken against their will. I was among them as were most of this city's citizens. We were made slaves and forced to work in the fields and we were treated terribly. One day I had had enough as I watched one of the overseers whip an old woman. At twelve years old I managed to stab the overseer while others helped the woman. It was then that I knew that this couldn't continue. At twelve years old I became the leader of a rebellion that swept the kingdom and its neighbors. Those who had mistreated us were brought to justice and we combined the kingdoms into one empire. I was pretty shocked the day that the citizens chose me to lead them and almost fainted when they placed the crown on my head."

Astrid had to take deep breath as Hiccup put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The dragons took a chance on us and we befriended them. They were tired of constantly being hunted and sought a safe place to live." Astrid then turned to Hiccup and gave him a serious look. "My wager for an alliance with Berk was genuine. I'm a woman of my word, but if they fail this test then I will conquer Berk as it was the kingdom which delivered most of us to these shores." Astrid stated with finality.

Hiccup surprised Astrid when he gave her a hug. "You should do what you have to do Astrid. I wouldn't blame you at all."

"You truly are full of surprises. I thought you would hate me." Astrid said looking down a bit.

Astrid and Hiccup spend the rest of the day together. Hiccup and Astrid sparred once again the following morning but afterwards she had not seen him for an entire two days as he told her that he had a surprise for Toothless. She was quite surprised when Hiccup landed in front of her while seated on Toothless' back. The Night Fury was ecstatic as he jumped up and down.

"Hiccup is that a prosthetic tailfin?" Astrid asked in awe.

"Why yes milady. Might I interest you in an evening flight?" Hiccup asked holding out his hand. Astrid took it eagerly and the flight took them through the clouds as dusk fell on the horizon.

The days passed quickly and one morning after sparring, to a now even larger crowd, had Astrid dragging Hiccup to the kitchens. Eret, Snotlout, and Tomas who had also found out about the sparring matches had come to watch and then gave Hiccup bemused smiles as Astrid had happily dragged him away.

The kitchen staff had not started their day yet and Astrid asked Hiccup if he wanted to try her new creation, which was a drink she called Yaknog. Hiccup happily agreed and just as he took a sip the cook and his daughter came in from outside carrying vegetables. The cook shouted "NOOO" upon seeing Hiccup drink the Yaknog but it was too late. Hiccup now understood why Astrid had been banned from the kitchens as he fell backwards in a faint.

Hiccup woke up in the afternoon with a concerned looking Astrid leaning over him. "Oh my Thor Hiccup I'm so sorry. I thought that I had finally perfected that recipe!" Astrid babbled.

A scoff came from Camicaze who was checking Hiccup over. "At least we know he has a cast-iron stomach. The guard who tried the last batch was out for four days. Not even my sleep potion could knock out a man that long."

"Ehhhnnn…" Hiccup said looking around a bit confused. His eyes landed on a soldier sprawled against the wall fast asleep.

"Oh don't mind him." Camicaze said offhandedly. "He just volunteered to test the duration of my new batch of sleep potions." Hiccup decided that he would rather not know as he and Astrid left the clinic.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you." Astrid said happily as she led Hiccup to a large window overlooking the inner courtyard. "Your friends managed to bond with dragons." She then pointed to where Hiccup could see Eret feed a green Rumblehorn, while Snotlout was putting his pants out after a red Monstrous Nightmare had lit him on fire, and Tomas was commanding a mini battalion of Terrible Terrors.

Hiccup let out a chuckle at the scene. "I have no idea how he got so many Terrors to listen to him." Astrid mumbled perplexed.

The days continued on, nearly a month and a half passed by, and Hiccup and Astrid started falling much more in love with each other. Astrid's birthday had passed a week ago and Hiccup had gifted her with a beautifully decorated axe, much to the astonishment of the delegates.

One beautiful sunny day found Hiccup and Astrid were sitting on a blanket under a tree in the palace garden. Astrid leaned into Hiccup a bit and asked quietly. "Hiccup, if I were to offer you money, status, and power would you be willing to stay by my side?"

Hiccup let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Astrid, but no I wouldn't." He said with finality. "I would stay with you if you would offer me your love as I would give you mine. I have no need for wealth."

Astrid let out a content sigh and then kissed Hiccup on the cheek. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that." Hiccup held Astrid closer. "I had long given up on finding love, having been betrayed before, but I thought I would take a chance on you." Astrid said and now gave Hiccup a kiss on the lips. "Who knew that you jumping after a dragon into a pile of hay would make me fall in love with you." Astrid stated with a giggle as Hiccup started to pout.

Astrid and Hiccup spend the rest of the time talking and when it came time for dinner Astrid made the announcement.

"Everyone, might I have your attention please." Everyone at the tables and the servants turned towards their empress. "It is with great joy that I like to announce that Hiccup has accepted my proposal and decided to stay in Aevinia with us."

All but one table erupted in cheer at the announcement. Congratulations were shouted to Astrid and Hiccup as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ruffnut and Tuffnut could be heard a table over paying out bets from the soldiers and servants.

Astrid and Hiccup shot the twins an amused glance and dinner continued after the noise had settled down. It was after dinner however that Stoick approached the table Hiccup and Astrid were seated at.

"Hiccup what were you thinking! You need to return home with us." Stoick said causing Hiccup to frown.

"No I don't." Hiccup said in a tone of finality. "I'm not part of the delegation as you have stated on so many occasions. So why do I need to return to Berk?"

"Because it is your home!" Stoick said in a raised voice.

"A place where I'm ridiculed, yelled at, and beaten isn't a home. It's a prison!" Hiccup said with so much venom that the General flinched back. "For once I'm thinking of my own happiness and I won't stand being the Kingdom's punching bag anymore."

"Hiccup as your father I forbid this union." Stoick said now and Hiccup merely cocked his head to the side. Hiccup might not have it in him to truly hate the man, but ever since meeting for Astrid and the other people he had slowly become friends with, he knew that he could not and would not let himself be pushed around anymore.

Hiccup folded his arms over his chest. "When have you ever been my father?" He then asked leaving Stoick gaping. "When have you ever cared for me. The only person's opinion in Berk that matters to me is Gobbers because he is the one who raised me." Hiccup never shouted as he said this but it still made the Berkians shiver. They had never seen Hiccup this forceful.

It was then that the General noticed the glares of the servants and guards which hadn't left yet. The Empress was also glaring at him while she had taken Hiccup's hand in hers. She never said anything but her gaze spoke volumes ' _Never-darken-our-door-again_ '.

The General knew then that Berk's second chance was over now, and he, with his big mouth, had brought it about. Stoick turned around and marched out of the dining room with most of the delegation following. Eret, Snotlout, and Tomas had stayed behind.

They hesitantly approached the table. "Your Highness." Eret said grabbing Astrid's attention. "We would also like to stay."

Astrid gave them a small smile and nodded but Hiccup looked at them shocked. "what about your jobs?" He asked.

"I can find other work." Eret said dismissively. "I was a traveling bard before I became a knight."

"Who cares what my father has to say." Snotlout said. "I'm staying with my cousin. He at least has a humorous bone in his body."

"I can still work as an apprentice elsewhere." Tomas added with a smile.

Hiccup shook his head and then laughed. "How long have you guys been thinking about this?" He asked.

"Oh, for quite a while now. We were just waiting for you." Snotlout said. "It took you almost a month to figure out that the Empress had the hots for you." This caused Hiccup to turn a very bright shade of pink and Astrid to laugh.

Hiccup and Astrid decided to retire for the night. When Astrid reached her bedroom she turned to Hiccup. "Stay the night?" She asked sweetly.

Hiccup gave her a nod as he was blushing again and Astrid pulled him inside before shutting the door.

It was not until morning that all hell broke loose. Hiccup and Astrid weren't on the field sparring which was odd as they had developed a routine. A guard was making his rounds when he was bowled over by Toothless who proceeded to drag him to the Empress' bedchamber.

It looked like a struggle had taken place inside the bedroom as furniture lay broken and Hiccup lay unconscious and bleeding. The Empress was nowhere to be seen.

The guard sounded the alarm and Camicaze, who had come running after Toothless, immediately set to work on healing Hiccup.

It was already midday when no signs of the Empress could be found. The guards also discovered that the delegation with the exception of Eret, Snotlout, and Tomas had also disappeared. Their suspicions were that Astrid might have been captured by them.

"They can't have gone far into the forests. We need to send our soldiers in to search." One of the guard captains suggested.

Lady Heather thought about it and was about to give her answer when Hiccup burst through the door with bandages still on his head and a frantic Camicaze after him. "It's suicide sending soldiers into the forest." Hiccup muttered as he stood uneasily. "The General is more than used to forest combat and would pick your soldiers off one by one."

"So it was the Berkian delegation?" Fishlegs asked as he came to help Hiccup sit. Hiccup nodded. "They had more men with them though. King Xandre must have send them into Aevinia in traveling pairs over the month so that they wouldn't draw attention."

"Well if we can't get them in the forest then where? If they reach Berk then we cannot rescue the Empress. She will be held as hostage and we would have to accede to their demands." Another commander asked. "The Berkian council probably planned this if they could not get the alliance."

"I have a plan but it's risky." Hiccup said to those assembled.

"Any plan is better than none." Lady Heather answered. "Let's hear it Hiccup."

Hiccup looked at the terrain map once more. "It should take them three days to reach Berk. We'll need to stall and I don't mean blowing up the stone bridge." Hiccup added when he saw Tuffnut point to the bridge. "A blown up bridge would make them suspicions."

Hiccup then turned to Tomas. "How sneaky can your Terrors be?"

"Hiccup what are you planning?" Snotlout now asked confused.

"I just need to get a message to her." Hiccup said and began to write. "Soldiers need a home cooked meal." Ruffnut read from over Hiccup's shoulder and then her eyes widened. "Oh!" She said suddenly getting it.

"Camicaze, how potent are those sleeping potions of yours?" Hiccup asked wincing slightly as Camicaze tightened the bandage. "One whiff could knock out a Skrill for eight hours." Camicaze stated.

"We're going to make those kidnappers come to us. Now this is the plan." Hiccup said as he gave them the specifics. The smirk Hiccup was sporting made those assembled shudder. They wouldn't want to be on the opposite side with the oncoming storm.

It was four days later in the dead of night that General Stoick and his men, along with the prince who had met them halfway, made it to the gates of Berk. Many of his men were clutching their stomachs and muttering curses to the bound, but smug looking, Empress who they had made cook for them two nights ago. She did tell them she could cook when they asked. She never said she could cook well.

Stoick pounded on the giant gates and a soldier peered over before giving the signal to open it. The soldiers galloped at full speed through the empty streets up to the castle. They did not notice one of the guards release a Terror which flew high above them and reached its destination before the soldiers.

The General, travel weary, trudged up the stairs followed by his men who dragged the Empress along. She had not said a word and held her head high as they passed rows of guards on duty.

The General was saluted by two guards upon reaching the doors of the throne room. The prince who was ecstatic pushed the doors open and barged in. "Father we got…" He promptly stopped mid sentence as he took in the scene in the dark throne room.

There sat his father kneeling on the stone floor bound and gagged as Hiccup lazily sat on the throne. "I thought you would never arrive." Hiccup says standing up.

"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted marching forward. "How did you get here?!"

"The same way you did. Through the door." Hiccup said dryly.

"What do you want?" Stoick asked again as his men readied their weapons.

"Isn't it already obvious." Hiccup said while sending a glare to the prince who had put a dagger to Astrid's neck. "The Empress for your King." Hiccup declared as he dragged King Xandre up.

"You're outnumbered!" The prince shouted.

"Am I truly?" Hiccup said as the doors opened and Stoick saw the guards they had passed blocking their only route of escape.

"Aevinian soldiers." Stoick asked Hiccup who merely nodded. "Don't worry. Your knights aren't dead. They are just asleep in the dungeons along with all the townsfolk in their homes."

"How did you do it?!" The prince shouted incensed.

"Oh just with the help of an eccentric doctor and a pair of twins who know too much about dispersal." Hiccup commented nonchalantly. "Now shall we do this exchange?"

"You're still outnumbered. What makes you think that I won't slice her throat and take out those soldiers of yours." The prince stated haughtily.

"Is it me or does your son not want you alive. That's just harsh." Hiccup asked the squirming King. He then turned to the cornered soldiers. "Do you really think I'm bluffing? You won't make it out of this room if you try to hurt her. Do you really want to gamble these soldier's lives?"

The General frowned and the grabbed the Empress by the shoulder. He would not risk his men's lives, not when he couldn't read if Hiccup was bluffing or not.

Stoick walked forward with Astrid just as Hiccup walked up to them with the king. The exchange was immediate but just as they began to back off from each other the prince flew in a frenzy. With sword in hand he charged towards Astrid who was quickly being shielded by Hiccup. But before the prince could reach the pair he shouted in agony.

The prince dropped his sword and clutched his hand that now had an arrow piercing through it. Another had hit his leg, while a third arrow was shot in his shoulder.

The General looked up towards the darkness of the ceiling and then he noticed the outline of archers on the rafters along with the glowing green eyes of the Night Fury that had followed Hiccup around. The general's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could now make out Lady Heather's profile as she nocked another arrow and aimed it like the rest of her archers at Stoick's soldiers. It appeared Hiccup wasn't bluffing and he kept them talking so to not draw attention to the rafters.

Stoick let out a sigh. "Lower your weapons. We surrender." He told his soldiers. He knew when he was beat.

The Aevinian soldiers disarmed the men and lead them to the dungeons. Berk now belonged to the Aevinia empire and it was Astrid who would decide what to do with them.

Hiccup untied Astrid as Heather and her arches came down from the rafters. Astrid then proceeded to punch Hiccup in the shoulder. "What was that for?" Hiccup asked rubbing the now sore spot.

"That was for taking so long." Astrid stated and then grabbed Hiccup and kissed him deeply. "And that was for everything else love."

-THE END…..OR JUST THE BEGINNING…..-


End file.
